New Delhi: The construction of the Greater Male Connectivity Project reached a major milestone as engineers successfully installed the final bridge segment connecting the Maldivian capital of Male with Villingili island. The achievement marks significant progress on the signature India-backed infrastructure initiative, which aims to provide seamless vehicular transit across the archipelago.
Financed through an Indian assistance package comprising a 100-million-dollar grant and a 400-million-dollar Line of Credit, the project ranks as the largest infrastructure undertaking in the history of the Maldives. The 6.74-kilometre link, commonly referred to as the Thilamale Bridge, encompasses three primary bridge connections joining Male with the nearby islands of Villingili, Gulhifalhu, and Thilafushi.
Diplomatic officials and political leaders commended the achievement, noting that more than 75 percent of the project’s total construction work is now complete. The contract for the initiative, which features world-record 8.177-metre precast superstructure segments, was originally awarded to India’s Afcons Infrastructure in August 2021. Former Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid praised the development on social media, expressing appreciation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for supporting infrastructure growth that strengthens bilateral ties under India’s Neighbourhood First framework.
